4 Highland Parks (partially peated)

What I mean by partially peated is that Highland Park are only doing about 20% of its maltings themselves, which comes out at about 40ppm. The rest they get from Tamdhu or Simpson courtesy of the Edrington Group, and that holds little to no peat whatsoever. Roughly estimated it makes for about 8ppm in Highland Parks core products. This doesn't mean all HP's have the same peat level and I think both higher and lower amounts of peated whiskies in a vat occurs now and again, and maybe even some 40ppm or 0ppm bottlings can be found(?). Anyway, lets see if these ones have any peat in them.


Highland Park 10yo 1992-2003 45% Blackadder cask#20569

This one comes from a refill sherry cask and has the pale color of tap water, which makes the "no coloring" statement on the label a bit excessive, but it's good to know anyway. The taste is dry and peaty, far from any other HP I've ever had, kind of reminds me of some of the very bad batches of Bowmore 12. After resting for awhile it may have changed a bit? No, not much, still kind of raw, rubbery, spirity and very dry. Water might do the trick? Water just provokes it and it now makes for a mean and angry whisky. Spirity, dry and rubbery. There should be a warning against adding water to this one on the label.

Foul stuff, a cask that never should be bottled as a single: 2


Highland Park 24yo 47.6% Vom Fass

I don't think I have tried a cask strength whisky from Vom Fass yet. I believe Vom Fass is a whisky shop up by the northern German border to Denmark. A pale golden color, perhaps a bit more palatable than the Blackadder? Let's hope so. It smells light honey, vanilla, choriander and cinnamon, sweet, light and all to pleasant so far. Could it be one of those deceivingly light and sweet whiskies that you can drink as if it was water, until you suddenly hit the floor? (drink responsibly!) The taste is hot cinnamon and sweet ginger, nice and playful. Too bad it lacks a real finish, it's just like when the palate get over the initial shock over this light and comforting sweetness, there's nothing more there. There is a small hint of peatiness in it, and it's perhaps one of the lightest and easiest whiskies I have ever tried.

Something you'd expect at an old gentleman's club as an aperitif to caviar: 7


Highland Park 35yo 1975-2011 51.6% The Whisky Agency & The Nectar

A joint bottling, something that I'm not too familiar with other than that two IB's contributes in a vat for different reasons. To push the end result of one whisky above 40%, or to try and form some collegial bond between businesses? I have no idea. Darkest color so far today, yet this is from an ex-bourbon cask, shows that color most often tells you little to nothing at all about what kind of whisky you're in for. It smells bitter and way more peaty than the prior two. Smoke, herbs, eucalyptus and gruel, fruity baby food.. yuk! But on the other hand, the peaty and herbal/bitter stuff are interesting. The taste is full on cinnamon, reb bell peppers, peat, kind of grainy, orange peel, lemon seeds, sour green grapes, leather, complex stuff.

So much going on, I like it more than I think some of the purists will: 7.5


Highland Park 20yo 1989-2009 51% Malts of Scotland cask#10521

This one is called triple wood, my only other experience with such a mature method, as far as I know, is the Laphroaig triple wood, which now is back on the market. But not my favorite though. Maybe this one will change my mind? However, I do not know what kind of casks have been used in this one, but I'm assuming sherry, bourbon and perhaps port? It holds an orange hue which to me can be translated to the bourbon wood not being the biggest contributor. The nose shows signs of some oloroso sherry notes, sweet honey and cinnamon on top of red bell peppers, light peat and rubber. The taste is sweet and light, more bourbon notes now, sweet vanilla, cinnamon again, egg cream liqueur (Bol's), thick and creamy, egg fluff, a real sweet dessert treat.

This one is immensely sweet, just a bit too much, otherwise splendid: 7



Next distillery: Port Ellen Distillery